Comparison of the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Performance-Enhancing Drug Users and Nonuser Bodybuilders

Objective: The present study aimed at comparing the prevalence of major psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and generalized anxiety disorder between performance-enhancing drug users and nonuser bodybuilders. Moreover, the prevalence of major psychiatric disorders in bodybuilders was also reported. Method: In this study, 453 athletes were recruited from Bushehr bodybuilding gyms from February to May 2015. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the participants’ information, including demographic characteristics, sports’ status and performance-enhancing drug use. According to the condition of performance-enhancing drug use, the participants were divided into current users, non-current users, and nonusers. The psychiatric status of the participants was evaluated using DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and schizophrenia. We also asked about the acute psychotic disturbances after using performance-enhancing drugs, alcohol use, and history of aggressive behavior in bodybuilders. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and chi-square tests. Results: Prevalence of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, generalized anxiety disorder, and the overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the bodybuilders was 19.7%, 3.8%, 1.5%, 16.6%, and 26.7%, respectively. After using performance-enhancing drugs, 33% of the bodybuilders had experienced acute psychological disturbances. There were no significant differences between current, non-current, and nonuser bodybuilding athletes in the measured psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: Prevalence of psychiatric disorders was not significantly different in performance-enhancing drug users and nonusers. Thus, it can be concluded that performance-enhancing drugs do not increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in bodybuilders

Maternal Vitamin D Status among Different Ethnic Groups and Its Potential Contribution to Adverse Pregnancy and Child Outcomes

Maternal vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy is a widespread public health concern. Race and ethnicity as biological and cultural factors, respectively, can affect vitamin D status through differences in skin color, sunlight exposure, and dietary intake. Low maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy may affect both mother and fetus adversely. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are linked to a wide variety of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and preterm delivery. Furthermore, maternal vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several adverse health outcomes in infants and children. The examples include, but not limited to, impaired growth, skeletal problems, and autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and asthma. This chapter reviews the vitamin D status during pregnancy across different ethnic groups, looking into the adverse pregnancy and child outcomes, followed by a discussion on the association between maternal and child vitamin D status and successful interventions. Strong evidence exists about the association between vitamin D and some health outcomes during pregnancy, while more studies are needed to confirm the other claim. The existing body of evidence justifies the need for well-designed policies and systematic interventions to ensure optimal vitamin D status of pregnant women and their offsprings across different ethnic and racial groups

The contribution of S100B to the glioprotective effects of valproic and arundic acids

Objective(s): Valproic and arundic acids are astrocytes-modulating agents with potential effects in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). S100B is an astrocytic cytokine with a possible role in the pathogenesis of AD. In this study, we aimed to assess the glioprotective effects of valproic and arundic acids against amyloid-β-peptide (Aβ)-induced glial death and contribution of S100B to the glioprotective effects of these agents in an astrocytic culture.   Materials and Methods: We used Aβ25–35 at a concentration of 200 μM in 1321N1 astrocyte cells. We treated the cells with valproic acid (0.5 and 1 mM) and/or arundic acid 50 µM for 24 hr. Methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test was used to measure cell viability. The intracellular and extracellular S100B levels were measured using an ELISA kit. The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance followed by the Tukey’s test.   Results: Aβ (200 µM) decreased the cell viability compared to the control group (

Comprehensive assessment of irrigation water requirements in Iran

A national web-based simulation portal was developed to estimate the irrigation water requirements at plain scale in Iran. The National Water Portal (NWP) consists of four national databases (climatic, soil, crop, and spatial data), a lumped water balance model, and a graphical user interface (GUI). The irrigation water requirements in standard conditions were estimated based on the dual crop coefficient approach presented by FAO 56. Net irrigation requirements (NIR) and gross irrigation requirements (GIR) were calculated for 125 different crops cultivated in the 609 plains in Iran. Results were aggregated at both political and hydrological scales. The statistical comparison between the estimated NIR and reported values in the literature reviews indicates a correlation coefficient of 75% with root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 280 m3 ha−1. Results showed that sugar cane has the highest NIR value (18318 m3 ha−1) among the studied crops, and sugar beet has the second highest NIR value (5100–11896 m3 ha−1). The aggregated amount of NIR and GIR for the entire country was calculated as 47 and 105 billion cubic meters (BCM), respectively. Results indicate that 3.772 million cubic meter (MCM) of water can be saved by applying 15% water stress. By increasing the irrigation efficiency to 65% without considering any water stress, 3.482 MCM of water can be saved

Persian version of the Work Design Questionnaire: Measurement of its psychometric characteristics

Background: Work design questionnaire (WDQ), as a comprehensive and integrative tool, is one of the most important instruments frequently used to assess work characteristics. The aim of this study was to measure the psychometric characteristics of the Persian version of WDQ. Methods:Translation and cross-cultural adaptation procedures were applied in translating the original WDQ into Persian. A total of 270 participants participated in this study. The validity of the questionnaire were measured using face validity, content validity, convergent validity, and construct validity based on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability was assessed through internal consistency. Results: Mean content validity index (CVI) was 0.95. The CFA results indicated support for a 21-factor solution. There were significant correlations between dimensions of WDQ and both job satisfaction and perceived stress. Cronbach's alpha of all items was 0.87. Conclusion: Results indicated that the WDQ exhibited very good psychometric properties and can be applied as a useful tool to assess work characteristics among Iranian employees. Accordingly, the authors recommend its administration in future studies. The work characteristics was significantly associated with job satisfaction and job stress. Therefore, improved work design would reduce negative consequences, such as job stress, and increase positive behaviors, such as job satisfaction

Evaluation Design of Banks: Development and Validation of a Comprehensive Assessment Tool Based on Principles

Background: Universal Design (UD) means designing the products and environments everyone can use as far as possible without requiring specialized compatibility or design. The present study aimed to design and develop a comprehensive and valid checklist to evaluate the design of banks based on UD principles and implement it in Iranian banks.Methods: Based on the seven UD principles and using a mixed methods sequential exploratory design, an initial checklist with 61 items was developed. Then, its psychometric properties were evaluated based on face and content validity and inter-rater agreement. The final checklist was prepared based on the results of this stage and used in the next stage to evaluate the design of 17 banks.Results: The final checklist consisted of 10 areas (as per the seven UD principles). The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) were calculated as 0.91 and 0.93, respectively. Based on areas of the checklist, all the evaluated banks showed many problems, the most significant of which were related to the areas of equal use by different groups, flexibility in use, and the size and space of access and use.Conclusion: The present study’s findings led to the design of a comprehensive and standard checklist to evaluate the design of banks in terms of UD principles. The results indicated that the UD principles were not observed in most studied banks, and they need to implement targeted design interventions

Protective effect of loboob (a Persian traditional remedy) on sexual hormones, antioxidant activities and stereological changes of testis tissue on busulfan induced oligospermia in rats

Loboob as a traditional drug in Iranis known for its beneficial effects on busulfan-induced oligospermia. In this experimental study, protective effects of loboob (a Persian traditional remedy) on sexual hormones, antioxidant levels and stereological changes of testis tissue were evaluated in an oligospermia rat model induced by busulfan. Fifty male rats were randomly divided into five different groups: control, received no treatments; and the other groups administrated with a single dose of busulfan (10 mg/kg body weight). After 30 days, these groups were treated with 0, 35, 70 or 140 mg/kg/day of loboob for 60 days. Blood samples were collected for hormone and antioxidant enzyme assays. Unbiased stereology was performed on testis tissues to evaluate the volume of different parts of the testis and the number of various testis cells. Data indicated that FSH, LH and MDA were increased, and testosterone, catalase, SOD were decreased in the busulfan group, while treatment with loboob at 70 and 140 mg/kg significantly improved these parameters (P <0.05). Treatment with 70 and 140 mg/kg of loboob ameliorated the germinal epithelium volume, types A and B spermatogonia, spermatocytes, elongated and round spermatids, and Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules (P <0.05). High concentration of loboob also improved testis weight and volume, and leydig cell number (P <0.05). Thus, loboob is more effective for the recovery of seminiferous tubules and their cells than for the interstitial tissue. Loboob with various antioxidants, minerals and vitamins could overcome the side effects of busulfan

Amelioration of caffeine-induced seizures by modulators of sigma, N-methyl-D-Aspartate and ryanodine receptors in mice

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiepileptic effects of opipramol, a sigma receptor agonist, diazepam, ketamine, an N-methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, and dantrolene, a ryanodine receptor antagonist, against caffeine-induced seizures in mice. Methods We used caffeine (1000 mg/kg) intraperitoneally for inducing clonic and tonic-clonic seizures in male albino Swiss strain of mice. We used opipramol in three different doses (10, 20 and 50 mg/kg), ketamine (50 mg/kg), dantrolene (40 mg/kg), opipramol (20 mg/kg) plus ketamine (50 mg/kg), opipramol (20 mg/kg) plus dantrolene (40 mg/kg), diazepam (5 mg/kg as a positive control) and the vehicle 30 min before injecting caffeine. We recorded the onset of clonic, tonic-clonic seizures and the time of death of animals after using caffeine. Results Animals treated with opipramol at a dose of 50 mg/kg or diazepam had a higher onset of clonic seizure compared with the vehicle-treated group. Dantrolene alone or with opipramol (20 mg/kg) increased the latency of clonic seizure compared with the control group. Opipramol (20 and 50 mg/kg), diazepam, ketamine alone or with opipramol, and dantrolene plus opipramol increased the latency of tonic-clonic seizures in mice. All the treatments except opipramol (10 mg/kg) and dantrolene alone increased the latency of death of animals. Conclusion Opipramol attenuated seizures produced by high doses of caffeine. Moreover, the activation of sigma receptors and inhibition of ryanodine receptors may produce synergistic effects against caffeine-induced seizures. Our study may imply that different mechanisms such as inhibition of gamma-aminobutyric acid-A receptors, activation of NMDA and ryanodine receptors may contribute to the caffeine-induced seizure

The Contribution of S100B Suppression by Arundic Acid to the Inhibition of the Glio-Toxicity Induced by Beta-Amyloid in an Astrocytes Culture

Background & Objective: It has been shown that glial activation has important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. S100B is an astrocyte specific factor with deleterious effects on the neuronal and non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system. Arundic acid is an agent that inhibits the secretion and production of S100B in astrocytes. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the contribution of S100B in the cyto-protective effects of Arundic acid against beta-amyloid in 1321N1 astrocyte cell culture. Materials & Methods: Human astrocyte cells (1321N1) were treated with beta-amyloid (200 μM) and / or Arundic acid (50 μM) for 24 hours. Cell viability was measured using the MTT (3, 4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method. The S100B protein level was measured by the ELISA method. Results: Beta-amyloid treatment reduced cell survival compared to the control-treated groups. In contrast, the addition of Arundic acid to beta-amyloid suppressed the beta-amyloid-induced cell death. Beta-amyloid also increased the S100B protein level. However, Arundic acid prevented the rise of S100B protein level induced by beta-amyloid. Conclusion: The reduction of S100B protein secretion may be involved in the protective effects of Arundic acid against the beta-amyloid induced Glio-toxicity in the astrocyte culture